Scottish tourism is flourishing, Bric by Bric

AT first glance last year’s Scottish tourism figures looked disappointing. Last month’s survey data from VisitScotland suggested a 5% drop in overseas visitors in 2012. The dip was blamed on a soggy summer over much of the country, combined with the sluggish economy, the continuing euro crisis and the London Olympics.

Clearly the 50% real-terms rise in tourism revenue by 2015, pledged by the Labour administration in 2006 and taken on by the SNP, is going to be missed by the proverbial country mile.

However, the 2012 figures turned out to have a silver lining. Yesterday’s VisitBritain figures revealed a 30% increase in visits to Scotland from the four fastdeveloping Bric countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China). In fact, the numbers coming from two of them, Brazil and China, nearly doubled in a single year. And Glasgow enjoyed a rise in BRIC visits from 13,000 to 20,000. (The city now welcomes more overseas visitors than either Oxford or Cambridge.)

The significance of these figures is that because the Bric countries are experiencing rapid growth, there is potential to continue growing these numbers rapidly too. Tourism is an important driver of the Scottish economy and many local economies within it. Already it supports around 340,000 jobs and generates around £11 billion a year in spending.

How can these encouraging trends be built on? There is no single answer, though the increasing popularity of Scotch whisky in both China and Brazil is no coincidence. Glasgow, with its appealing combination of theatres, museums, art galleries, Victorian architecture and firstclass shopping, is beginning to catch up on Edinburgh. Stores promoting tax-free shopping and offering Mandarin and Cantonesespeaking staff are recognising the potential of the “Peking pound”.

And 2014, with the second Homecoming Year (focused on the 700th anniversary of Bannockburn), plus the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and the Ryder Cup, is creating a buzz and sense of confidence, reflected in plans for new hotels in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Meanwhile Scotland is slowly getting better at focusing on niche markets including food and drink, golf, walking, fishing and genealogy.

Yet there is still a sense of unfulfilled potential in a country with such a distinctive culture, spectacular scenery and impressive architecture. London is still Britain’s main tourist hub, attracting half of all overseas visits and 10 times those for Edinburgh, its nearest rival. Unsurprisingly, those in the business cite Air Passenger Duty as a barrier to the growth of the Scottish market, as well as VAT on visitor attractions. And, despite recent improvements, there is still an issue about the variable quality of catering and service in Scotland’s hospitality industry. Connectivity (mobile phone and wi-fi reception) remains a big issue for tourists outside the Central Belt. And the debacle over the revamp of George Square is a reminder of Scotland’s failure to produce public spaces to rival St Mark’s Square in Venice or Red Square in Moscow. Much done but much left to do.